The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-25
THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS.
SANTA CLAUS HOLDS MERRY
CARNIVAL IN THE RAIN.

Christmas Gifts for the Little Ones
Sights in the Market Preparing
for the Glad Festival in the Churches
- Programmes of Sermons and
Songs.
Christmas is a time that makes men boys
again and women girls No matter how
old they are when the time comes to buy
Christmas gifts they become as young as
the youngest, and the serious man Of bust
ness will use as much care in selecting a
drum, which be will make his son stop beat
ing ten days later, as he viii in buying
cotton
The purchasers OF toys furnish good deal
OF amusement TO those who have patience
enough 10 stand by and watch them. They
will stand any amount of time in judging
which box of tin soldiers is the prettiest, and
which Noah's ark contains the most animals.
One loving young mother had a serious diff
Guilty with the clerk in a toy store because be
wrapped up jumping JACK that had blue
coat and red trousers when she had selected
one with a red coat and yellow trousers. II
was a serious mistake the clerk made, Of
course, for no doubt baby would know the
difference and would refuse TO suck the
blue point off his toy while he would enjoy
the red JACKIE. Of the acrobatic monkey.
These little incidents make Christmas what
il is, for if it was not for the foolishness of
the parents who select the toys the children
who receive them would not have half the
pleasure that they do. but the serious grow
merry about this time and the old become
childish again and laugh as much over
Santa Claus as do the babies Of the family.
"A RAINY CHRISTMAS EVE.
The dreary. melancholy rain slapped half
the pleasure out Of the Christmas joys this
year When the spirit is bright it looks for
sunshine and Natures smiles, and the dark
and drearisome weather of the past few
days has made Christmas a very I'M
pleasant thing for those older heads who
had, perforce, TO go out and buy for the
little ones, who expected Santa to come rain
or sunshine. Little do the children care
whether the weather be good or bad. Santa
is faithful friend to them, and he comes
whatever the weather may be, so in spite
of the rain they looked for him, aud their
mothers and fathers had to contribute TO
Santa's stock Of presents whether they got
wet or no. That is the reason there was
such an array Of umbrellas and rubber
gossamers on the street yesterday.
TRADEsMES WITH LONG FACES.
The tradesmen do not look 50 kindly upon
Santa Claus this year as formerly they have
come out to buy from them because it
rained. They think be made nearly all his
toys in his own workshop. but Santa was
very generous after the rain stopped All
his friends rushed down to the stores and
bought enough presents to supply every
child in town, and 50 while the rain was at
first an enemy to the merchants Santa's
generous spirit made up to them all their
losses and before the night was over they
made as much off of him and his peculiar
season as they could expect. Therefore il
will be seen that there is a mercenary side
to the holiday festivities, and that Christ
mas joys to some people are great or small
as their pockets may have been filed or
emptied, but the world is made up of all
sorts.
CHRISTMAS on THE STREETS.
Christmas eve is busy time in all the
streets. The toy stores were thronged ith
buyers last night, and the number of toys
that were bought can only be compared to
the wreck the children will make Of them
as soon as they acquire fee simple title TO
them. The streets were verify alive w tn
people running here and there to buy this
and that for Mary or George, and the indi-
vidual who succeeded in buying presents
without being almost crushed 10 death was
very fortunate.
But there is something else about Christ
mas that is looked forward to with as much
expectancy as the toys. That is the Christ
mas dinner, and it is as hard to get as it is
10 induce Santa TO climb down a dirty,
sooty chimney to fill one little stocking.
That was shown at the market last night,
where ''the world and his wife" were buying
Christmas supplies. There was not a spare
inch OF space in the whole market, and the
buyers vainly struggled to get hold of nice
fat turkey which was hanging temptingly
before their eyes, but every time it was cap
tured just as the one who wanted it was
reaching out to catch it.
THE CROWD AT THE MARKET
The crowd that surrounded the place
where edibes are sold was something inn
mense, but nothing immense was left when
it had departed IL fact exceedingly little
was left, ana the bare stalls and empty
hooks where but a short while before tempt
ing morsels had hung showed how lavish
were the preparations for the day, and be-
tween the Christmas dinner and the visit Of
Kris Kringle the day assumes a br1lliancy
that will contrast favorable with anything
that shines forth from childhood's recollec-
.tion. The contagious merriment of the oc-
casion, the Christmas tree with its colored
candles and store Of toys, the family gather
Ing around the homely hearth, and the
joyous greeting of friends and familiar ac-
quaintances make Christmas what it is, the
richest of all seasons.
UGLY CHRISTMAS WEATHER.
The weather yesterday was about the
worst on record. The rain that began on
Friday kept up on Friday night and all
yesterday until after dark, when
1t let up. The total rainfall
for the day was 90 inches, the heaviest fall
reported anywhere in this country, though
the rain was general over the South At
lantlc and Gulf States. Charleston had
the next heaviest fall, and reported
3 inches IL was a bad day for
shoppers, but they waded through mud and
water as cheerily as If the day was as bright
as autumn could make it, When the rain
stopped the clouds broke away and the
night was clear and bright
1t began to grow colder soon after
dark, and br 10 o'clock people began to but
ton up their overcoats and think of getting
by fire. From then on it kept getting
colder, and by midnight the Signal Bureaus
prediction for cold Christmas was veri-
fed. The indications sent out from Wash
tngton at that hour were for cooler fair
weather, light to fresh northwesterly winds,
becoming variable.
CHRISTMAS IN THE CHURCHES.
Christmas falling on Sunday this year
more attention than usual has been given to
Christmas music. In the Roman Catholic,
Episcopalian and Lutheran Churches the
services will be more elaborate than in the
other churches, but the festival will be OBJ
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